Batsheva and MatchesFashion.com Throw a Frock-Filled Cocktail Party at Primo’s

Call it the frock heard round the world. Last night, Batsheva, by Batsheva Hay (pronounced “sheh-va,” like the e in whateva), held a cocktail party celebrating its partnership with e-commerce site MatchesFashion.com at Tribeca’s newest go-to spot, Primo’s. In attendance were the likes of Leelee Kimmel, Zac Posen, Aurora James, Justin Theroux, and a slew of downtown It girls. Much of the crowd, mostly women, attended the event in the designer’s ruffle-minded frocks. The cult-beloved, cult-looking pieces aren’t difficult to miss: The modest dresses come with old-world ruff collars, big sleeves, and an overall Little House on the Prairie hip-popping sass, if Little House on the Prairie had hip-popping sass. Though, for those not wanting to go full sister-wife chic, Hay has also created tops and skirts.

As the story goes, Hay, a former lawyer, began sewing the dresses in her Upper West Side apartment, later founding her label in 2016. “I was buying them from inside of her apartment, and she would give me a Zabar’s hat on my way out,” said Hailey Gates in a frock à la Nicolette Grant from Big Love. Now Hay has since expanded into creating seasonal collections. A few weeks ago, MatchesFashion.com picked up the pieces after Batsheva was discovered on Instagram by one of the employees. “When she [Hay] did our Matches press day in New York, we had them [the dresses] with heavy boots and heavy necklaces. We knew everyone in the room was like, ‘We can’t wait for that dress to come in! It’s going to look great,’” said MatchesFashion.com buying director Natalie Kingham, donning a leopard-print dress. “The frocks have a nostalgic, feminine girlishness about them that make me feel fabulous. I had quite a few women stop me on the way here.”

The dresses certainly have their own personality, and women have appeared to gravitate toward them thanks to their boldness and a want to make them their own. Nail artist Madeline Poole, who wore a floral-print dress with a regal collar, added big earrings for a touch of her own style. “I feel like myself,” she said. “I love the pattern; it’s so pretty.” For Hay, seeing an array of women sporting the pieces has been a stellar experience. “Every time I see a new woman wearing it, it surprises me. And when it comes to a big medium like Matches and there are women whom I don’t know who post a picture of the dress, it shocks me,” said Hay. “And in that way, I kind of am seeing a different side of myself.” One great take on the look? On Love actress Gillian Jacobs, who arrived wearing a red squiggly, double-hem incarnation complete with a pair of optic-white Danskos. To each her very chic own.